Nine Thai Golfers Set to Compete for the First Major Title of the Year at The Chevron Championship in Houston

HOUSTON, Texas, USA – Thai golf fans will have plenty to cheer for this week as nine Thai players take on the world’s best in pursuit of the first major title of the year at The Chevron Championship, held in Houston, Texas.

Leading the Thai contingent is world No.1 Atthaya “Jeeno” Thitikul, alongside Ariya Jutanugarn, Pajaree Anannarukarn, Chanettee Wannasaen, Patty Tavatanakit – the 2021 champion, Jasmine Suwannapura, Pornanong Phatlum, Moriya Jutanugarn, and rookie Suvichaya Vinijchaitham.

The LPGA Tour’s first major of the season offers a total purse of US$9 million (approximately THB 290 million) and will be contested at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston for the first time. The tournament takes place 23–26 April 2026, played over four rounds (72 holes) of stroke play with a field of 132 players.

Mao Saigo of Japan, the 2025 champion, returns to defend her title.

Strong Thai Representation

The Thai lineup features a mix of established stars and rising talents.

Atthaya Thitikul, the current world No.1 and an eight-time LPGA Tour winner, will make her sixth appearance in the championship. Her past results include a T30 finish in 2018, when she also earned Low Amateur honors, followed by T14 (2022), T4 (2023), 12th (2024), and T24 (2025). Her best result in a major was runner-up at the 2025 Amundi Evian Championship.

So far this season, Thitikul has competed in six tournaments, recording two top-10 finishes, including victory at the Honda LPGA Thailand and T7 at the Tournament of Champions.

Ariya Jutanugarn, a former world No.1 and 12-time LPGA Tour winner, including two major titles, will make her 14th appearance in the event. She has recorded four top-10 finishes, highlighted by T4 in 2016, T8 in 2017, T4 in 2018, and T2 in 2025, where she lost in a five-player playoff. Her major titles include the 2016 Women’s Open and the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open.

This season, Ariya has played four events, finishing T8 at Honda LPGA Thailand and T18 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, though she missed the cut in her two most recent tournaments.

Pajaree Anannarukarn, a two-time LPGA Tour winner, will compete in the tournament for the seventh time, having made the cut six times. Her best result here is T28 in 2021. Her strongest major performances came in 2024, finishing 6th at the Evian Championship and T10 at the Women’s Open.

Chanettee Wannasaen, also a two-time LPGA winner, returns for her third appearance after finishing T48 in 2024 and T18 in 2025. Her best major performance came with a T2 finish at the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship.

Former Champion and Experienced Contenders

Patty Tavatanakit, the 2021 Chevron Championship winner (then known as the ANA Inspiration), will compete for the ninth time. She also earned Low Amateur honors in 2019 (T26) and recorded T4 in 2022, though she missed the cut in the past two editions.

This season, Tavatanakit has played five tournaments, highlighted by a T5 finish at last week’s LA Championship.

Veteran Pornanong Phatlum will make her 15th appearance, having made the cut 11 times, with her best result being T13 in 2013. Her best major finish came with runner-up at the 2018 Women’s Open.

Jasmine Suwannapura, a three-time LPGA winner, will play the event for the 12th time, with her best finish being T39 in 2014. Her best major result is runner-up at the 2020 Women’s Open.

Moriya Jutanugarn, also a three-time LPGA winner, makes her 15th appearance, with two top-10 finishes: T8 in 2018 and T10 in 2021. Her best major finish was T3 at the 2017 Evian Championship.

Rookie Makes Major Debut

Suvichaya Vinijchaitham, a rookie on tour, will make her first appearance at The Chevron Championship, which also marks the first major of her career. She secured her spot after finishing T11 at the LA Championship last week, where she briefly appeared on the leaderboard during the second and third rounds.

Star-Studded Global Field

The tournament will feature a strong international lineup, including past champions such as Mao Saigo (2025), Nelly Korda (2024), Lilia Vu (2023), Jennifer Kupcho (2022), Ko Jin-young (2019), Lydia Ko (2016), Brittany Lincicome (2016, 2009), Lexi Thompson (2014), Stacy Lewis (2011), and Yani Tseng (2010).

Other major champions competing include Maja Stark and Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), Miyu Yamashita, Ayaka Furue and Yuka Saso (Japan), Allisen Corpuz (USA), Minjee Lee, Grace Kim and Hannah Green (Australia), Amy Yang, Chun In-gee, Kim Sei-young, Kim A-lim and Kim Hyo-joo (Korea), Yin Ruoning (China), Celine Boutier (France), Brooke Henderson (Canada), and Ashleigh Buhai (South Africa).

For more information, visit www.lpga.com
Photo credit: LPGA / Getty Images